Tracy Towner of Ventura County DAs Office

Posted by Sandy Warren on Nov 28, 2016

Tracy Towner Educates Ventura South Members

On the Role of County D.A.'s Investigators

Members and guests of Ventura Rotary South enjoyed a fascinating presentation on Monday, November 28, by Commander Tracy Towner of the Ventura County District Attorney's Bureau of Investigation. "Our agency's goal is to streamline the process by which criminal cases are prosecuted by the District Attorney," said Commander Towner.

He noted that the prosecution of major crimes in the County is frequently a multi-agency effort involving his office and the Ventura County Sheriff, city police departments, and state and federal law enforcement agencies. With more than 30,000 cases per year, Commander Towner stated that the 100-plus deputy district attorneys and the 45 agents in his office maintain a high conviction rate. Crimes range from homicides to burglaries, to sexual assaults and cyber attacks.

"That last category is demanding more and more of the Bureau's time and resources," Commander Towner noted. "If you use email, online banking, wire transfers, or other forms of electronic communication and business transactions, you have an 80 percent chance of falling victim to some form of cyber crime, and it's only going to increase."

Commander Towner continued, "Don't use the same password for all the sites you visit." He also recommended using extra caution when responding to emails from unfamiliar sources. At this time of year, when online holiday shopping is at its height, Commander Towner's remarks were particularly relevant. Thank you for timely and valuable information!